Landon's Blog

I love this...

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 09:20:23 -0500

“I want neither a terrorist spirituality that keeps me in a perpetual state of fright about being in right relationship with my heavenly Father nor a sappy spirituality that portrays God as such a benign teddy bear that there is no aberrant behavior or desire of mine that he will not condone. I want a relationship with the Abba of Jesus, who is infinitely compassionate with my brokenness and at the same time an awesome, incomprehensible, and unwieldy Mystery. “ -Brennan Manning

PHOTO // Technology, Then and Now

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:02:23 -0500

"To live by grace means to acknowledge my whole life story, the light side and the dark. In admitting..."

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:00:07 -0500

““To live by grace means to acknowledge my whole life story, the light side and the dark. In admitting my shadow side I learn who I am and what God’s grace means.””

- Brennan Manning

A haiku for my yellow lab...

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 10:00:07 -0500

Beautiful Bailey
Killer of St. Augie grass
Why my carpet too?

"The world’s version of tolerance only makes sense if the options are equal and the choice between..."

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 14:00:06 -0500

“The world’s version of tolerance only makes sense if the options are equal and the choice between them is irrelevant.”

- Shaun Daugherty

Pastor Drops Bear, Saves Duaghter

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 10:00:06 -0500

Josh killed a 350lb bear in his driveway to protect his kids.

Check out the video here.

Luther's Letter to Hans Von Rechenberg, 1522

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:36:00 -0500

Here is the text from Martin Luther’s letter to Hans Von Rechenberg.

Rob Bell’s Quote on page 108 of Love Wins:

In a letter Martin Luther, one of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation, wrote to Hans von Rechenberg in 1522 he considered the possibility that people could turn to God after death, asking: “Who would doubt God’s ability to do that?”

Luther’s Letter in Context

If God were to save anyone without faith, he would be acting contrary to his own words and would give himself the lie; yes, he would deny himself. And that is impossible for, as St. Paul declares, God cannot deny himself [II Tim. 2:13]. It is as impossible for God to save without faith as it is impossible for divine truth to lie. That is clear, obvious, and easily understood, no matter how reluctant the old wineskin is to hold this wine—yes, is unable to hold and contain it.

It would be quite a different question whether God can impart faith to some in the hour of death or after death so that these people could be saved through faith. Who would doubt God’s ability to do that? No one, however, can prove that he does do this. For all that we read is that he has already raised people from the dead and thus granted them faith. But whether he gives faith or not, it is impossible for anyone to be saved without faith. Otherwise every sermon, the gospel, and faith would be vain, false, and deceptive, since the entire gospel makes faith necessary. (Works, 43, ed. and trans. G. Wienke and H. T. Lehmann [Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1968], 53-54; WA 10.ii, 324.25-325.11)

I really have a hard time when people take things out of context… especially when it seems so intentional on the part of the messenger.

For a deeper read on the matter, check out this post.

STUMPIN' AIN'T EASY!

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:00:07 -0500

Fact: P-Teddy took lead in front of a hotel in Milwaukee on October 14, 1912. His manuscript saved him. It was only a flesh wound.

Special thanks to Jay Winters for finding this gem.

Pastor loses job after questioning hell's existence...

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 18:40:17 -0500

http://on.msnbc.com/fmRgLI

How are people supposed to handle things when the pastor has doubts just like they do?

Special thanks to Chad Lakies for helping with the following question.

Belief and Satan, Semantics

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 09:26:44 -0500

Yesterday I was talking to one of the young adults after worship about the message, which addressed the question of whether hell was real or simply an outdated concept. After a few minutes I asked the person, “What about satan?” He replied, “Oh, I don’t believe in satan.” I then asked, “Yes, but is he real?” [cue blank stare of confusion]

There is a real problem today with the way we have bent the definition of believe. For many people, like this young man, to believe carries the primary meaning of acknowledging existence. More and more, this word is used to describe logical deductions based on our observational reality. This should be expected from a culture that has places a high value on empirical data and the accumulation of knowledge. But the issue is not with our love of science. The issue is with our definition.

A whole generation of young believers and their relationship with Jesus Christ are being compromised. If the culture’s primary definition of believe is to describe an understanding of existence, this will affect the culture’s interpretation of scripture when it reads the message of Jesus which calls us to believe in Him. It is not just about acknowledging existence. Even the devil acknowledges the existence.

To believe in Jesus is to trust in His death on the cross and resurrection as God’s act of pure love toward you in order to reconcile you to Him. What follows is a personal transformation in you — a life passionately engaged in growing in and experiencing the process of being one with God and trusting in Him for everything you need.

It is not necessary for a person to believe in Jesus Christ in order for Him to be real. However, it is necessary to believe in Jesus Christ to experience what is real.

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. -John 3:18

What questions would you like ask Rob Bell?

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 08:44:16 -0500

What questions would you like ask Rob Bell?

Did God have a wife?

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:02:48 -0500

Did God have a wife?:

Interesting discussion going on at msnbc.com. Revisited issue and a few decades ago. Check it out.

YouTube Vuvuzela Button

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 10:48:06 -0500

Looks like the Vuvuzela made the big time. YouTube made a little soccer ball icon at the bottom left of the video player that you can click to enhance your viewing experience!

Check it out: Donovan Interview

Photo

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:46:13 -0500

Holy Week Experience: EASTER SUNDAY!!!!

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Happy Easter!

I want to start this post in an unlikely place… a garden. More specifically, we find ourselves in the Garden of Eden. It is where this whole week gets its meaning and significance. Without the events of this garden, today means very little because it is in this garden we lost our relationship with God. It is also in this garden where God speaks to Adam and Eve and says, “I am going to send a boy. He is going to restore this relationship you just broke. Be on the lookout for Him.”

Divine Poetry: How poetic is it that the hardest words ever spoken (Eden) most beautiful words ever spoken (at the empty tomb) were in gardens? The parallelism here is breathtaking to me. In a garden, we were separated from God and introduced to death. In a garden, we are brought back into a relationship with God and introduced to life! Angels present at both. There is Adam, the original gardener. And there is Jesus, posing as a gardener. First Adam… and Last Adam (1 Cor 15:45). The fulfillment stands for all time.

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor 15:55-57

“He is risen! Praise God!”

NOTE: Thank you for sharing the Holy Week Experience with me this week. I hope you had as much fun as I did. Your comments are appreciated as this is my first time to blog like this. Have a great day! Don’t forget to subscribe: RSS version or EMAIL version!

Holy Week Experience: Holy Saturday

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Holy Saturday is a relatively quiet day.

The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”
“Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

Point 1: I am not really sure how someone can read this (especially with the extra-Biblical evidence) and not see some real irony here in the conspiracy theories. Even on Saturday his body was still there. If I were a Roman soldier and I were given a task and the guy wasn’t there… I would be screaming bloody murder! But the record shows that no stink is raised. The guards went. And from that point they were standing guard. We are talking trained killers. World conquerors at the foot of the tomb. Think about that.

Point 2: (Landon’s ratting out the Jews!!!) This always cracks me up. These Pharisees, these people of God, these law-keepers to the extreme… are they doing work on the Sabbath by concerning themselves with all this and striking deals with the Roman government???? (Please read all the sarcasm you want into that last comment… I meant it.)

Holy Week Experience: Good Friday

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Good Friday is widely recognized as the day Jesus died. Many of you know the story. We have some good narrative to cover today, so please take your time and reflect on it.

Early in the AM: Jesus is taken to the Sanhedrin for trial. It is a well-known and documented fact that they wanted him dead, but the tricky part of the situation is that Jerusalem was under Roman authority… and by Roman law no one could be executed outside the jurisdiction of the Roman government. They charged Jesus with blasphemy yet sent him to the Roman authorities under the trespass of trying to overthrow Roman rule. The charges didn’t exactly match up.

Pilate - Herod - Pilate: They took him to Pilate early in the morning as soon as they could. Pilate had already been in tension with the higher ups in the Roman Empire and if an uprising would have started on his watch… well, he would have been relieved of his position. So he sends Jesus, or pawns the situation off, to Herod (the governor if you will) in hopes that he will not be liable. Herod, who could see a job opportunity opening up shared the same disdain for the situation and makes a political move of his own and sends Jesus back. At this, Pilate’s hand is forced when the crowd threatens to riot.

The Crowd (part A): Do you ever wonder where these people came from this early in the morning. How did they know where to go? How did they turn on Jesus from Sunday to Friday? Quick thought: Where would you find a crowd like this to convene so quickly? Possible Answer: There are a lot of people who serve at the temple. A lot of people depend on the pay from the temple to put food on the table. If your leaders request your presence (rather strongly), do you think it would be possible to get a crowd like this? Possibly. Jesus is sentenced to die at the hand of the Romans. Religious crimes. Governmental execution.

The Most Overlooked Verse in the Bible: Where are the Hosanna people from Sunday? I think you will find this interesting. The most overlooked verse in the Bible… Luke 23:27, “A large number of people followed him (The Crowd: Part B), including women who mourned and wailed for him.“ They were there! This following… these people shouting to Jesus on Sunday, “SAVE US!” And now they are wailing as their hopes quickly fade with every step that comes closer to Golgotha. I wonder if they knew about the trial taking place in the Roman courts just hours before.

Seven Sayings From the Cross:

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
And Jesus said unto him, Truly I say to you, Today you will be with me in paradise.
Woman, behold your son! Then he said to the disciple,
Behold your mother!
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Quoting Psalm 22. If you don’t do anything else today, read it… it is eerie.)
After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, said, I thirst.
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Earthquake. Temple Curtain torn in two from top-to-bottom.

Quick Burial: Because it is almost the Sabbath when Jesus dies, he has to have a quick burial before sundown. This explains the reason the women and disciples went to the tomb on Sunday morning first thing. He was not given the proper treatment that any person would receive on Friday. No ritual washing. No Jewish Tachrichim (custom of death wrapping). All that put on hold for the Sabbath. Interesting, isn’t it?

Note: If the story ended here, Jesus would simply be a martyr.

Holy Week Experience: Maundy Thursday

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Maundy Thursday is also known as Easter Triduum (3 days before Easter). This is a rather eventful day in the life of Christ… and therefore the life of the Church. Maundy comes from the Old English vernacular (latin = mandatum) and is taken from John 13, “A new commandment (instruction/teaching) I give unto you, That you love one another; as I have loved you.”

Big comment: Not even Moses made commandments. He delivered them from YHWH. I don’t think people really realize the magnitude of this statement Jesus makes. It’s not just about the command, but that He has the authority to command.

Lord’s Supper: In the evening on Thursday we come to the Passover meal. Many people already know the significance of the Passover meal in rememberance of the exodus from slavery. What I find interesting about this meal is that Jesus takes it and draws the connection in such a way that sounds like this: (from Landon’s Free Translation) “There was a night you remember. It was the night when I rescued you from slavery, and I made death pass over you because of my strong love (KESED) for you. I recognized the sacrifice and brought you into a new life that you had never known. I ultimately made you into my people… and today you still remember that great act of love. Tonight I fulfill that great act which point to this moment in time for all these years… only this time the sacrifice will stand forever. By taking part in this, you are connected to me and to each other as my people.”

Washing of the Feet: Feet are dirty and cleaning other people’s feet makes most people shiver. Congrats if you don’t share this feeling. You are rare. Between the Lord’s Supper and the Foot Washing, we see a servant Christ that doesn’t look anything like the militant Messiah expected. Expectations can be so misleading, can’t they? What a parallel to Mary, who washed and annointed Jesus’ feet just hours/days prior. I wonder how the disciples accepted Mary’s servant act (good form) and if they felt awkward that theor leader just sis the same thing. Was Jesus annointing their ministry (most martyrs) as well?

Garden of Gethsemene (“Oil Press”): After the upper room, Jesus retreats to the garden. This was a regular prayer place for the group. Jesus prays, sweats, bleeds… not my will, but yours. The disciples nod off. Judas kisse. The narrative picks up speed very quickly. See you tomorrow.

Holy Week Experience: Spy Wednesday

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Today in Holy Week we come to what is known as Spy Wednesday… or the day of the betrayal by Judas for 30 pieces of silver. It is also the day Mary brings perfume and pours it over Jesus’ feet.

Matthew 26: 6-11 - While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. …”

Matthew 26:14-16 - Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

Point of Interest: The woman brings a bottle of perfume worth one year’s wages and uses it to anoint Jesus’ feet. She weeps tears on His feet and then washes them with her hair. Judas is appalled. Meanwhile Judas betrays Jesus for a tenth of what the perfume was worth, only to seal the deal with a kiss of death later in the week. Interesting how the sinful woman and the (supposedly) faithful disciple have switched roles in what it should be like.

I find it intriguing how there are so many things in the Gospels that simply turn the typical actions of everyday life up on end. There is a beauty to the role reversals in the lives surrounding Jesus. The religious people don’t get it. The commoners who have nothing to hold on to… well, they do get it.

Questions to Think About:

Do you get it?
Why is it that people who have nothing to hold on to seem to respond in a way that the Gospel writers mark as a beautiful event?
Why is it that people who think they have it figured out always seem to screw up when approaching Jesus?
What might you be holding on to that prevents you from ‘getting it’ when embracing the message of Jesus?

Holy Week Experience: Plot-Thickening Tuesday

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Plot Thickening Tuesday. Today Jesus gets in a scuffle with the Pharisees. They are trying to trap Him because he is shaking up their religious world. He has already won the hearts of the people and cleared the temple of the moneychangers and their share of the market. They are not happy because naturally they get a cut of the profits sold in the temple areas. Bet you didn’t think of that one yesterday, did ya! Neither did I. I was reading today and stumbled across this thought = I had an ‘AHA! moment’.

Soon after Jesus stumps the Pharisees, He begins to teach what is known as the Mount Olivet Discourse - engaging the ‘end time’ teachings we read about in Matthew. Click here to read the text

So to recap: Jesus win the hearts to the people on Sunday; clears the temple and makes the religious leaders mad on Monday; lays some harsh words down on the religious leaders again and talks about the end times heavily on Tuesday.

Questions to Think About:

Have you ever tried to paint God into a corner (argue your case or justify your actions) because it interfered with what you had going on?
Has He ever called you out to readjust your perspective?
What are your interpretations of the end times in light of what Jesus says in the text in this post?